Concert Notes: 12/12/12 Tickets Go on Sale Monday; Neil Young Plays Brooklyn; More

Heads up, live music fans: tickets for the star-studded "12/12/12" concert supporting Hurricane Sandy relief go on sale this Monday, Dec. 3rd at 12 Noon Eastern via Ticketmaster. As the logo above indicates, the concert features Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, The Who, Bon Jovi, Dave Grohl, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Alicia Keys, Eddie Vedder, Roger Waters, and Kanye West. See more details on the concert at its website, 121212concert.org.

Tickets for the big 12/12/12 concert go on sale Monday.

People with Chase credit or debit cards will have access to a limited number of tickets for the 12/12/12 concert beginning at 9 a.m. on Dec. 3rd.

* Speaking of The Who, they're in town for a few shows this coming week to play "Quadrophenia" in its entirety plus other songs. They perform Wednesday at the Garden and Thursday at the Prudential Center in Newark; tickets are available for both.

* After jamming at the Garden on Tuesday, Neil Young & Crazy Horse play the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Monday night. As before, Patti Smith and Everest open. Tickets are still available at Ticketmaster.

* Eric Clapton is bringing his Crossroads Guitar Festival to the Garden for two nights, April 12th and 13th. This charity concert features a bunch of guitar greats including Albert King, the Allman Brothers, B.B. King, Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, and many more.

I completely forget when these were going on sale (it was yesterday), and they are sold out already. (Although StubHub lists about 1,200 tickets for each show, and the prices you see there may well come down as the dates approach).

Neil Young & Crazy Horse Bring the Fuzz to The Garden

Neil Young and Crazy Horse visited Madison Square Garden last night on their tour to promote their new album "Psychedelic Pill," and as you'd expect from hearing that disc, jamming and fuzzed-out guitar ruled the night. (See NPR Music's review of the album.)

Neil Young, Crazy Horse, and stagehands standing at attention during the playing of the national anthem.

With an album featuring two discs and one song of 27 minutes and another more than 15, it's no surprise that Tuesday's show probably featured fewer songs than you'd find in previous Neil Young shows, and that was the case. Even some relatively short older songs had a verse repeated twice. (See set list below.)

The good news is that Young and his old mates can still rock with power and lots of distortion. Hearing Crazy Horse, it's easy to see how grunge rockers such as Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam were inspired by the Canadian-born Young.

The bad news is that many of the songs would have been just as enjoyable if they hadn't been extended in length, and this would have allowed the band to fit at least a few more songs into the set. ("Fuckin' Up," in particular, went on much longer than we felt it should have.)

We would have preferred to hear more older songs, especially from Young's classic album "Harvest" (he played only one tune from it, a solo acoustic "The Needle and the Damage Done.") Other older tunes included "Powderfinger," "Cinnamon Girl," "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)," and the Buffalo Springfield rocker "Mr. Soul."

Songs from "Psychedelic Pill" that were played included "Born in Ontario," "Ramada Inn," and "Walk Like a Giant."

Neil Young and Crazy Horse during Tuesday's show.

Neil Young doesn't seem like someone you'd necessarily expect to have a crazy sense of humor or eye for stagecraft, but the show featured some wacky touches. The stagehands were dressed either as construction workers (in orange vests and yellow hardhats) or as mad scientists, complete with white lab coats and Einstein-style unkempt hair. And they all stood at attention, side by side, as the national anthem was played (with an American flag projected on the back screen) before Young's set began. (We're not sure if he's doing this before every show, or just in ones played in sports arenas.)

The stage had a retro cartoon look; it was adorned by several large structures made to resemble giant Fender amps, and an oversized model of an old-style microphone stood at the front of the stage.

Neil Young and Crazy Horse play the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Monday, Dec. 3rd; tickets are still available here. 

Everest started off the show (I arrived too late to catch them), followed by a brief set by Patti Smith.

 Patti Smith during her opening set.

Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Madison Square Garden, Nov. 27th, 2012
Set list: (via Brooklyn Vegan)
"Love and Only Love"
"
Powderfinger"
"
Born in Ontario"
"
Walk Like a Giant"
"
The Needle and the Damage Done"
"
Twisted Road 
Singer"
"Without a Song"
"
Ramada Inn"
"
Cinnamon Girl"
"
Fuckin' Up"
"
Mr. Soul"
"
Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)"

Encore:
"
Roll Another Number"

Watch Global Festival Online NOW - Foo Fighters, Neil Young, Black Keys, & More

This is a late reminder, I know, but the free Global Festival concert is going on right now in Central Park (it started at 4:30), and you can watch it free online at YouTube or Yahoo.

The Global Festival is going on now in Central Park's Great Lawn.

The concert features the Foo Fighters, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, the Black Keys, Band of Horses, and K'Naan. For more information on the Global Festival, visit its website here. In addition to the live webcast going on now, there will be two additional showings so that people around the world can see it at a convenient time. The other showings are on Sept. 30th at 2:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. EDT.
 

Concert Notes: The Walkmen, Neil Young, M83, Gotye, Melvins Lite, & More On Sale

Tickets for another batch of great shows goes on sale this weekend, including Neil Young and Crazy Horse (with Patti Smith and Everest as openers, no less), The Walkmen, Gotye, a second show for M83, and Melvins Lite. Most of these shows go on sale Friday, June 8th; here's what's coming up:

Neil Young and Crazy Horse play the Garden on Nov. 27th.

On sale Friday, June 8th:
* Gotye at Radio City Music Hall (with Missy Higgins and Jonti), Tues., Sept. 25th. On sale: 10 a.m.
* Gotye at Williamsburg Park (with Givers and Zammuto), Thurs., Sept. 27th. On sale: 10 a.m.
* Social Distortion at Roseland Ballroom (with Lindi Ortega & The Biters), Fri., Oct. 26th. On sale: 11 a.m.
* Grizzly Bear at Radio City Music Hall, Mon., Sept. 24th. On sale: 11 a.m.
* Bobby Womack at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Tues., July 3rd. On sale: 12 Noon.
* M83 at Hammerstein Ballroom, Wed., Oct. 3rd. On sale: 12 Noon.
* Melvins Lite at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Thurs., Oct. 4th. On sale: 12 Noon.
* The Raveonettes at Webster Hall (with Melody's Echo Chamber), Fri., Oct. 5th. On sale: 12 Noon.
* The Walkmen at Terminal 5, Thurs., Oct. 18th, On sale: 12 Noon.
* Esperanza Spalding: Radio Music Society at the Apollo Theater, Fri., Oct. 26th. On sale: 12 Noon.

On sale Saturday, June 9th:
* Ben Folds Five Reunion at Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, Fri., Sept. 14th. On sale: 10 a.m.

On sale Sunday, June 10th:
* Neil Young & Crazy Horse at Madison Square Garden (with Patti Smith and Everest), Tues., Nov. 27th. On sale: 12 Noon.

Now Streaming: New Albums from Japandroids, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Kelly Hogan, & More

The new albums from Japandroids and Neil Young and Crazy Horse are two of the biggest attractions in this week's crop of albums streaming online, but there are some other much-anticipated releases as well. But first, a bit about the Neil Young album.

Japandroids at Maxwell's in Hoboken in late 2010.

Aptly called "Americana," it's Young's take on classical folk and traditional tunes such as "Oh! Susanna," "Gallows Pole," "Wayfarin' Stranger," and "This Land Is Your Land." And the album ends with a rousing version of "God Save the Queen" (the one that has the same melody as "My Country 'Tis of Thee," not the Sex Pistols' tune). This is the first album Young has put out with his old pals Crazy Horse in nine years, and all of his fans will want to check it out.

The wonderfully noisy Canadian duo Japandroids are back with "Celebration Rock," and they've got a lot to celebrate. They've gained a lot of buzz over the last year or so, and their New York shows next month sold out quickly. Which makes me all the more glad that I got to see them about a year and a half ago at the intimate room at Maxwell's.

I loved last year's self-titled album by Marissa Nadler, and will be looking forward to hearing her new release, "The Sister," which is available for preview over at Spinner. Another female singer I'm eager to listen to is Kelly Hogan, the longtime backup singer for Neko Case. Having always liked her voice, I've been interested to see what songs she would choose to tackle. On "I Like To Keep Myself In Pain," she sings songs written for her by some of her well-known collaborators besides case: such as Stephin Merritt, John Wesley Harding, M. Ward, and Vic Chestnutt. There's also one tune that Hogan wrote.

There's a lot more good stuff for preview this week, including the new releases by Liars, Gemma Ray, Julia Stone (without her brother Angus), and more. [Update, May 30: Rolling Stone has added the new album by Crocodiles; see link below.]

And you'll get a second chance at listening to new albums by artists including Sigur Rós, Regina Spektor, and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

It's a jam-packed week of album previews; dig in and enjoy.

Rolling Stone:
"Americana" by Neil Young and Crazy Horse
"Endless Flowers" by Crocodiles (if that link doesn't work, try here)

NPR First Listen:
"Celebration Rock" by Japandroids
"I Like To Keep Myself In Pain" by Kelly Hogan
"Valtari" by Sigur Rós
"WIXIW" by Liars

KCRW Album Preview: 
"Heaven" by The Walkmen

Spinner.com's Listening Party:
"The Sister" by Marissa Nadler
"By the Horns" by Julia Stone
"Here" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
"What We Saw From The Cheap Seats" by Regina Spektor
"Internal Logic" by Grass Widow
"Anxiety" by Ladyhawke
"Island Fire" by Gemma Ray
"Oh Michael, Look What You've Done: Friends Play Michael Chapman" by various artists (featuring Thurston Moore, Meg Bairds, Maddy Prior, and Lucinda Williams)
(and many more albums at Spinner's website)

Neil Young, Arcade Fire Win Multiple Juno Awards

Neil Young won three Juno Awards Sunday night in Toronto. Photo: Andrea Barsant via Flickr

Neil Young is on a roll: the crusty old rocker won three Juno Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys) Sunday night, just weeks after winning his first-ever music Grammy. In a night otherwise dominated (on the rock side, anyway) by indie darlings Arcade Fire, the 65-year-old rocker took home Artist of the Year honors and Adult Alternative Album of the Year for "Le Noise," as well as the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award. The latter is said to be given to a prominent artist with a long history of humanitarian work, and the Spinner.com article says that it was given to Young primarily for his work in co-founding Farm Aid, the annual concert that benefits farmers.

Montreal's Arcade Fire took home some of the night's biggest awards, including Album of the Year (for "The Suburbs"), Group of the year, and Songwriter of the Year. Some other major Juno winners in rock and pop:

• New Artist of the Year: Meaghan Smith
  
• New Group of the Year: Said the Whale
  
• Rock Album of the Year: Matthew Good, "Vancouver"
  
• Producer of the Year: Daniel Lanois for "Hitchhiker" (from "Le Noise" by Neil Young) and "I Believe in You" (from Black Dub's self-titled album)
  

See the full list of 2011 Juno Awards winners here.

Free Album Streaming: New CDs from Neil Young, Deerhunter, John Legend & the Roots, Chromeo, More

Above: Deerhunter playing at New York's RiverRocks festival last month. Their new CD "Halcyon Digest" is streaming free on NPR Music. 

It's been too long since I've written about new albums that are available for free streaming, but with today's post I'm hoping to make it a regular weekly feature again. There are some great new CDs out or almost out that you can preview for free now, which motivated me to resume this feature.

As always, the Spinner and AOL sites don't indicate how long the free streaming is offered, while NPR Music and KCRW do tell when the streaming ends.

Spinner.com's Listening Party currently features more than 15 albums including:

* "Mobile Chateau" by Matt Costa

* "Buzzard" Margot and the Nuclear So and So's

* "The Sound of Sunshine" by Michael Franti and Spearhead

* "The Place We Ran From" by Tired Pony (haven't heard of them, but the description says "The music project is collaboration by members of R.E.M. and Belle & Sebastian with guest spots from She & Him, Editors, Snow Patrol, and more."
* "Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride" by The Black Ryders

* "Out at Sea" by Magnetic Island (haven't heard of these guys, either -- Brooklyn band less than a year old)

* "Imaginational Anthem v 4" by New Possibilities (compilation of acoustic guitarists)

AOL Music about 15 free album previews, which have some overlap with Spinner: 

* "You Get What You Give" by the Zac Brown Band

* "Guitar Heaven" by Santana

* "Audition" by the Cast of Glee (five-song EP from the first episode of Season 2)

* "Imperfect Harmonies" by Serj Tankian (former System of a Down singer)

* "Available Light" by James McCartney (debut EP from the son of that-guy-from-The-Beatles, & co-produced by the Dad)

* "Taken" by Rhonda Vincent

* "Killing. Mourning. Love" by Victory in Numbers

* "Bring It On" by Kaci Battaglia

NPR First Listen:

* "Le Noise" by Neil Young (streaming until Oct. 5)

* "Wake Up!" by John Legend & the Roots (until Sept. 28)

* "Halcyon Digest" by Deerhunter (until Sept. 28)

* "Business Casual" by Canadian hip-hop duo Chromeo (until Oct. 4)

* "Epic" by singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten (until Sept. 28)

* "Good Things" by soul singer Aloe Blacc (until Sept. 28)

KCRW Album Preview: 
* "Station to Station" by David Bowie (special edition reissue of his 1976 album) (until Oct. 3)

Music News: Dylan Cancels Asian Tour; Albums from Elliott Smith, Peter Wolf, & Sharon Jones; Rihanna & Neil Young Tour Dates

Left: Kill Rock Stars is releasing two albums by the late Elliott Smith this week.

There's lots of music news this week, from tour dates to new albums; from hot new artists to veteran performers:

* Bob Dylan has canceled his tour of Southeast Asia after Chinese officials declined to let him perform in Shanghai and Beijing. Dylan, who has never performed in China, is thought to have been kept out of those cities for fear the sometimes-rebellious performer might make some controversial comments, a la Bjork's shoutout to Tibet at her concert in Shanghai a couple of years ago.

* Northwest indie label Kill Rock Stars will re-release Elliott Smith's first and final full-length albums, "Roman Candle" (1994) and "From a Basement on the Hill," according to the Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy blog. The first had never been mastered; the latter is a release Smith was working on at the time of his suicide in 2003. Both are out tomorrow, April 6th.

* I hadn't thought about Peter Wolf, longtime singer for the J. Geils Band, for years, but he's coming out with a new album. Both the Wall Street Journal and NPR talked to the blues-rock group's frontman about his latest effort, "Midnight Souvenirs."

* The Journal also has a nice article on the new album by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, the soul group that uses tape machines and analog equipment in a Brooklyn studio to give its albums a retro-soul sound. "I Learned the Hard Way" drops on April 6th.

(Update: Amazon.com is offering a free MP3 download of the title song from "I Learned the Hard Way." Site doesn't say how long it'll be available.)

* Rihanna is spending her summer on tour, and taking along Ke$ha with her. On-sale dates for the Rihanna/Ke$ha tickets are posted; New York shows are August 12th at Madison Square Garden and August 15th at Jones Beach.

* Neil Young has announced some new May tour dates, with concerts slated for Buffalo, Connecticut, Kentucky, Atlanta, South Carolina, and Nashville.